If you take care of your overall health, you may be able to lower your chances of falling.

Here are a few hints that will help you avoid falls and broken bones:

Stay physically activ...

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Take the right steps

If you take care of your overall health, you may be able to lower your chances of falling.

Here are a few hints that will help you avoid falls and broken bones:

Stay physically active. Plan an exercise program that is right for you. Regular exercise improves muscles and makes you stronger. It also helps keep your joints, tendons and ligaments flexible. Mild weight-bearing activities, such as walking or climbing stairs, may slow bone loss from osteoporosis.

Have your eyes and hearing tested. Even small changes in sight and hearing may cause you to fall. When you get new eyeglasses, take time to get used to them. Always wear your glasses when you need them. If you have a hearing aid, be sure it fits well, and wear it.

Find out about the side effects of any medicine you take. If a drug makes you sleepy or dizzy, tell your doctor or pharmacist.

Get enough sleep. If you are sleepy, you are more likely to fall.

Limit the amount of alcohol you drink. Even a small amount of alcohol can affect your balance and reflexes.

Stand up slowly. Getting up too quickly can cause your blood pressure to drop. That can make you feel wobbly.

Use a walking stick if you need help feeling steady when you walk. If your doctor tells you to use a cane or walker, make sure it is the right size for you and the wheels roll smoothly. This is important when you're walking in areas you don't know well or in places where the walkways are uneven.

Be very careful when walking on wet or icy surfaces. Try to have sand or salt spread on icy areas by your front and back door.

Wear non-skid, rubber-soled, low-heeled shoes or lace-up shoes with non-skid soles that fully support your feet. It is important that the soles are not too thin or too thick. Don't walk around on stairs or floors in socks or in shoes and slippers with smooth soles.

nia.nih.gov

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Help! I've fallen and can't get up.

The phrase — once used in an advertisement for a home medical alert device — provided many chuckles, but falling is no joke, especially for older adults.

Improved education on aging and continued medical advances has increased our life expectancy.

Seniors are living in their homes much longer before having to enter a managed-care facility, said Jennifer Stillmayer of For Your Health Medical Supply in Marshalls Creek.

One out of three older adults, age 65 or older, falls each year, according to the National Institutes of Health.

In fact, among older adults, falls are the leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries.

Twenty to 30 percent of the people who fall suffer moderate to severe injuries, such as lacerations, hip fractures or head trauma, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

It amazes most seniors and their families that a simple thing can change your life, such as tripping on a rug or slipping on a wet floor. If you fall, you could break a bone, just as thousands of older men and women do each year.

A broken bone might not sound awful. But, for older people, a break can be the start of more serious problems.

Even if the injury was not life threatening or did require treatment, the person often develops a fear of falling, said Judy A. Stevens, a senior epidemiologist with the CDC's Injury Center.

Once this fear enters the picture, the person may limit their activities, which can lead to reduced mobility and loss of physical fitness.

This fear can actually make the person more likely to fall, according to an AARP report.

Learning how to prevent falls not only helps people avoid injuries, but also helps them preserve their independence, their ability to walk to the store, visit friends and navigate their own homes. Stevens said.

Many different factors can contribute to a fall. Your eyesight, hearing and reflexes might not be as sharp as they were when you were younger, Stevens said.